Dresden Ravenskraft
( ) | birthdate = December 1st, 1614 | age = 25 (Relative) | gender = Male | height = 181 cm (5’11) | weight = 173 kg (160lbs) | hair color = Dark Brown (Black) | eye color = Pale Blue (Left) Brown (Right) | bloodtype = A- | previous affiliation =Ravenskraft Family Vormund Bund International Quincy Delegation | occupation = | previous occupation = | previous team = Operation: Stunde der Quincy | previous partner = Cang Lu | base of operations = , | education = Nök Orlander | marital status = Single (Widower) | family = Emiko Miyake (Wife, Deceased) Haru Miyake (Daughter, Deceased) | status =Active | spirit weapon = Spatz Lichtbogen | signature skill = Heilig Feuer | vollstandig =Domhal (Formerly) }} Dresden Ravenskraft (ドレスデン ラベンスクラフト, Doresuden Rabensukurafuto '') is an and former member of 's . In his early life he had been a member of the noble Ravenskraft Household until he was disowned and banished after his participation in the . Dresden was the formerly second-ranked assassin of the '''Bund' before he betrayed the organization. He was also Cang Lu’s partner in the International Quincy Delegation. During WWII he served as an officer in the where he first encountered Yhwach, and later became a member of the . After his plans to sabotage the Wandenreich were found out, his powers were stolen by Yhwach; who nearly succeeded in killing him. He currently resides in , and searches for a means by which to regain his lost Quincy powers. Appearance Dresden appears to be in his late-twenties or early thirties, which is the point at which he stopped aging. He is fairly tall, standing slightly above average, and possesses what could be described as a swimmer’s build: broad shoulders, a tapered, flat torso, and long limbs. Even though his wiry frame at first seems unimpressive, the years spent honing his fighting abilities have provided him a somatic awareness and ingrained instinct which compensates for whatever physical deficiency he might have when facing a stronger opponent. A more adverse result of his significant experience are the numerous scars he has received in past battles, although many of these have faded over time. Dresden’s features include prominent cheekbones, a sharp jawline, elegant chin, and a refined nose bordering on the aquiline. His eyebrows are elegant and sit somewhat closely above narrow, square-shaped eyes that meet at triangular points. In somewhat stark contrast to his northern-German heritage, he has dark brown hair which he keeps somewhat long and unkempt, although his complexion is light. However, his most striking feature is his complete heterochromia iridum. Originally, both of Dresden’s eyes were dark brown, but after undergoing the ritual that granted him immortality his left eye became pale blue. Throughout the centuries, Dresden’s style of dress has changed as he generally attempts to match the style of the era. He prefers more formal clothing and is seldom seen without at least a suit jacket, as he finds the style nostalgic and comfortable. Nonetheless, he tries to remain as inconspicuous as possible and typically opts for average designs and dark colors. While he has a refined sense of taste and is usually well-dressed, time often slips by without his notice and he finds himself wearing clothes that are ten years out of date, or in outfits that seem too “old” for his age. Comporting himself with an air of severity that reflects his reserved nature, Dresden’s posture is so stiff that he was at one point described by another Quincy as a stiff himself. Although he rarely smiles and seldom uses gestures in conversation, Dresden maintains direct eye-contact as a form of respect. His formality carries over into his manner of speech, as Dresden is frank, concise, and to-the-point. While he speaks several languages, his soft German accent carries over into all of them, although it is not overly-distinct and certainly not “harsh.” On the few occasions that he allows himself to relax, he will steal off on his own to smoke a cigarette or two, a habit he picked up ever since his daughter’s death. As such, he usually carries a simply metal lighter with him, which can serve as a capsule itself should the need arise. Personality At first glance, Dresden appears to be serious, reserved, and perhaps a little reticent in his demeanor. He possesses a sharp intellect and is quick to comprehend a situation. He is loyal, responsible, and determined. Somewhat of a perfectionist, he prefers to work alone as he is patient with complicated situations regarding fact, but seldom when values conflict. But he can also have a strong sense of camaraderie if he believes strongly in a cause. Academically speaking, he is willing and motivated to gain the necessary training in order to improve, and he has natural interest in intellectual matters. (One of his favorite pastimes is chess, and he has a remarkable capacity for language.) In speech, he tends to be rather direct and straight to the point, but his verbal expression does not usually reflect his inner thoughts and feelings. Because of this, he finds that he has a hard time establishing an emotional connection with others. This leaves him tense and serious in character, furthering the misconception that he is cold and uncaring towards others. In reality, he has an incredible inward capacity to care deeply and passionately for others, and his profound sense of honor, (derived from his personal values and internal morality) which drives him to make unusual sacrifices, going to great lengths for a greater cause. He believes that everything in life has a purpose, and nothing happens without a reason. This results in an unseen level of compassion and sympathy towards others, even those who seem the least deserving of mercy. His extreme depth of feeling is often hidden, even from himself, until circumstances evoke an impassioned response. He is altruistic and an optimist, but this does not mean he is disconnected from reality. He can also be very practical, hoping for something better and yet realizing that good things do not often come without work or pain. He struggles with his own ethical duty, worrying that he has not done enough for the greater cause. This feeling has prompted him to become involved in the lives of normal over the centuries, even if it would have been wiser to remain uninvolved. Dresden is brave to his core, and will not hesitate in challenging injustice. He does not get along with inconsistent, weak-willed, or narrow minded individuals. He hates and defies tyrants and oppressors. This was most evident by the way he felt towards Yhwach. Unlike many of the Sternritter, there was no sense of admiration or loyalty towards his leader. Dresden is never content to defend a flawed system. He understands that as long as men are rational beings with the ability to choose their own actions, there will always be some degree of cruelty and injustice in the world. What he cannot and must not condone however, is this same injustice becoming justified and institutionalized. These systems are not ones that he can stand idly by and advocate. He may tolerate them, he may live under them, but he must work steadily to change them. He believes firmly in individual freedom, responsibility, persuasion and cooperation in opposition to the doctrines of coercion, collectivism, entitlement, envy and violence. He is, above all, an idealist. To be concerned about his own circumstance would be selfish, he must always put the greater cause first. He believes his calling in life is to help others. Doing a good deed, for example, may provide intrinsic satisfaction which is only secondary to the greater good of “striking a blow against man's inhumanity to mankind.” Even if a certain goal seems ideal, if it requires immoral means to reach the ends they profess he will reject it entirely. He is still plagued by guilt over his involvement in the , blaming himself for not having the foresight or wisdom to suspect what was happening. He often chides himself, saying that “To achieve the greater good—the means are just as important as the ends. It is the means that tell us where we are headed." Dresden is determined, responsible, and focused, but can also be impetuous and passionate at times, preferring to do things differently but often taking irrational chances. When both idealism and intellectualism are present in the same person, such as with Dresden, it can create internal contradictions and inconsistencies. Idealism does not analyze the world — it sees the overall pattern of it; and skepticism analyzes data from the world, without seeing the big picture. This causes Dresden to constantly swing back and forth between incredible foresight and crippling short-sightedness. He can be both wise and visionary as well as blind and unobservant. In all things, he becomes stubborn when an ideal is struck at and violated. When he is decided on a matter, his is an unwavering resolution. This deep commitment to principle also causes him to be perceptive of evil. In this manner he walks a thin line, always looking towards what is honorable and intrinsically good in life, but forever being hounded by the dark and desecrated that looms just behind his shoulder. He once almost yielded to the darkness, when he became a member of the Bund, and again when he was tempted to join Yhwach. There is a piece of darkness within his soul, and he cannot deny the fact that it will always be there. It rises to the surface when an ideal or a principle takes precedence over human life. When the goal is so vital he forgets that the morality of the means matter just as much as the end result. He focuses only on the task at hand, and is blinded by his "tunnel vision," unable to see where his actions are really leading him. History Equipment Pocket Watch: Purchased by Emiko and given to him by Haru when he returned home after WWI. The pocket watch is of Austrian make. It is silver and relatively undecorated, and contains a small compass on one side of the case. There is a deep dent on the outer case where a bullet once brushed past his side. Aufsaugen Gloves: (German for “intake”) After losing his powers to Yhwach, Dresden found he was incapable of absorbing or manipulating reishi on his own. In order to compensate for this, after copious amounts of research and extensive experimentation, he was able to invent a device that would allow him to draw in reishi. Similar to a , these gloves are designed to imitate a Quincy’s natural abilities, and works by drawing in reishi from the environment. He formed the gloves through a highly specialized form of , along with a special material known as soul-synthesized cloth. They are incredibly durable as a result, and can withstand repeated incineration by Dresden’s Heilig Feuer witout being consumed. The gloves are white, and each has a pentagram on the back, thus replacing the traditional Quincy Cross as Dresden’s power focus. (His original cross was destroyed in Berlin by Yhwach.) : The Mauser is a semi-automatic handgun that Dresden acquired during WWII and quickly became attached to. It was his weapon of choice after losing his Quincy powers, and he has trained extensively in its use. Its distinctive characteristics are the integral box magazine in front of the trigger, a rounded handle, and the long barrel. The clips are loaded from the top of the gun, and Dresden is proficient enough to where he can reload swiftly and easily within seconds. He also reloads some of his own cartridges. Instead of fitting a solid metal bullet to the end of the cartridge, he uses small Gintō capsules. With some ingenuity he has designed the bullets so that they do not collapse when fired, despite being hollow. When the bullet contacts a target, the forceful impact causes the capsule to rupture and the highly condensed reishi to explode. He uses these special cartridges when fighting against Hollows or Shinigami, as he finds the use of a reishi-based weapon is more damaging than a purely physical one against spiritual beings. Since the process of constructing these bullets is so time-intensive, Dresden only carries a few clips with him and does not use them often. Powers and Abilities Natural Abilities Low Spiritual Pressure: At first it would seem as though Dresden had an average amount of , but most of what can be felt from his presence is not his own reiatsu but rather residual amounts of that he has absorbed during the use of his Quincy abilities. His reiatsu, like most Quincy, is light-blue. Formerly, Dresden possessed a much higher level of reiatsu. However, after his powers were stolen by Yhwach his spiritual pressure, along with his fighting strength and abilities, are now possibly no higher than those of a 4th Seat ranked officer in the Gotei 13. *'Spirit Tracking:' Despite having a low amount of spiritual pressure, Dresden is still highly sensitive to the presence of spiritual beings such as Hollows and Shinigami, and even other Quincy. He is capable of perceiving, even from great distances, different reiatsu signatures, the entity’s power level, and even the mood or status of the individual in question; and can track them by following their Spirit Ribbon ( ). Excellent Marksman:'''Dresden was taught how to use firearms when he joined the Swedish army during the Thirty Years' War. This training continued when he later joined the Bund, where he learned sniper techniques both with rifles and his Spirit Weapon. As a result, his aim is remarkable, even at longer distances. His personality also aids him in his marksmanship, as he has always approached using his weapons with a calm and respectful demeanor. Dresden is also skilled with the use of handguns, and his Mauser C96 was his weapon of choice after losing his Quincy powers during WWII. '''Competent Swordsman: When Dresden was young he was trained how to fence as part of his formal education. He was also known to have used the as a sword for a time, although he has generally abandoned that practice. While in the Bund he learned how to use a variety of bladed weapons, and became proficient in the use of the and . Later, he was briefly interested in when he moved to Japan, although he has fallen out of practice. Hand to Hand Combatant: Dresden has had instruction in basic military hand-to-hand combat beginning with his involvement in the Thirty Years' War. Since then, he has improved and honed his unarmed skill over the years, and currently employs a method of fighting that closely resembles , as it is a conglomeration of the best of various martial arts. Dresden relies on speed and efficiency when fighting without weapons, and focuses on gaining the upper hand as soon as possible. He is a formidable opponent to humans (even unarmed Quincy) and low-ranking spiritual beings such as Hollows and Shinigami. High Stamina: The use of a Spirit Weapon, as well as Dresden's other methods of fighting, require a high amount of stamina. As such he has trained on a nearly constant basis to achieve a great deal of endurance, and his body has acquired imbedded survival instincts after 400 years of fighting experience. Enhanced Reflexes: Since he does not possess enough reiatsu to use effectively, he utilizes his own natural reflexes to compensate in speed. Excellent Intellect: Dresden is intuitive and perceptive in battle, and is a skilled tactician due to his many years of experience. He has an excellent memory and an active mind, able to recall even obscure or easily dismissed details. He is also able to analyze and deduce the basic mechanics behind an opponent’s attacks, quickly adjusting for their strengths and weaknesses in order to counter them. He utilizes his intelligence and ingenuity in battle to determine an opponent’s weaknesses and to overcome disadvantages, formulating plans and thinking on his feet. He has often used his surroundings to gain the upper hand during a fight, and is able to manipulate unchangeable factors to his advantage, trapping his opponent in the proverbial corner. In the past, Dresden has demonstrated the capability of determining and deducing a course of action even when only obscure and enigmatic factors are presented. Part of his sharp reasoning was the result of his training within the Bund where he was ranked as the second-highest operative and was thus considered greatly acute. His intelligence also served him well during his time within the Third Reich, where he successfully hid his involvement with the Stunde and later evaded discovery in the search for former Nazi officers. *'Multilingual:' Dresden’s native language is German, and due to expansive travel over the centuries he has also learned how to speak (in rough consecutive order) Swedish, French, various central European languages, Russian, English, Cantonese, and Japanese. During his early years, he also learned how to read and speak Latin. However, he is most fluent in German and Japanese, as these are the two languages he has employed the most in his life. Special Abilities Reishi Absorption and Manipulation: Although incapable of absorbing reishi on his own (relying on the use of the Aufsaugen gloves he invented,) Dresden retained the ability to manipulate reishi after it had been absorbed. Like all Quincy, this allows him to form a Spirit Weapon and the Heilig Pfeil needed for his attacks. *'Hirenkyaku:' High-speed movement caused by riding on the flow of reishi beneath the user’s feet. Formerly, Dresden was extremely proficient in its use. However, due to his current level of power, he is only able to use this technique with an average level of skill. *'Ransōtengai:' While only able to use this technique to a marginal degree, Dresden can create strings of reishi in order to manipulate injured areas of his body, thus allowing him to fight even after receiving debilitating wounds. It is unknown why he would retain the use of this skill after losing most of the others, but it is believed that he was using the Ransōtengai while his powers were stolen, and afterwards found it the only ability he was able to use naturally. Spirit Weapon Spatz Lichtbogen: (弧雀, German and Japanese for “Sparrow Arc.”) Unlike other Quincy, who utilize a cross as the focus for their Spirit Weapon, Dresden uses a pair of gloves. These gloves hold properties similar to those of a Quincy Bangle, and allow Dresden to use a Spirit Weapon despite having lost most of his powers. He can materialize the Spatz Lichtbogen as a traditional Quincy bow, and has been known to do this on occasion. However, he most commonly uses his gloves to incinerate opponents in close vicinity. When Dresden activates the gloves his hands are enveloped with blue flames which he can use as projectiles. In order to create a combustive reaction, he absorbs and condenses the flames before snapping his fingers together. This sends the highly concentrated reishi into an object in order to ignite it, acting as the combustion spark (although this technique can only be used on objects composed of reishi themselves). *'Heilig Pfeil:' Like all Quincy, Dresden’s Spirit Weapon can be used as a long-ranged projectile. He uses the arrows when he activates the Spatz Lichtbogen as a bow. He has shown a certain amount of, though not necessarily impressive, skill to redirect and manipulate the arrows while they are in mid-flight. He cannot yet achieve the " " volley of 1200 arrows, as 50 arrows released simultaneously is about his limit. The Heilig Pfeil is not his strongest ability. *'Heilig Feuer:' Unlike the Heilig Feuer utilized by the Wandenreich, (which have not been shown to actually "burn"), the flames Dresden use have the properties of true fire. Typically, fire comes from a chemical reaction between oxygen in the atmosphere and an available fuel. In this case, that "fuel" would be the reishi itself. However, in order for the combustion reaction to occur, the reishi must be ignited with a spark. With the small amount of reiatsu that he actually has, Dresden can supply this spark. Because of its high temperature, as well as reishi’s natural properties, the flames are blue in color. Depending on the object that Dresden is attempting to ignite, he may encounter some difficulties. The size of the object, and also its composition and density, affect how well it burns. Large, dense objects absorb more heat, so the reishi needed for a combustion must be at a higher level. A beings with a high level of reiatsu also resists the “spark.” To counter these problems regarding direct ignition, Dresden can use brief bursts of reishi as projectiles to fire at his opponents instead. Former Powers and Abilities Quotes :“Pain and sadness… they are an integral part of human life. Without them, where would be the nobility, the satisfaction, the joy of achievement? If we were deprived of them, where would be life’s meaning?” :(As part of a speech to the Stunde) “It seems the passing of time has a way of revealing the absurdity of what we thought was "pragmatic" and opening our eyes to the practicality of previously impossible endeavors… just who is to say what can and cannot be accomplished? Where is the boundary between the unachievable and that which is difficult to achieve? Just what is impossible?” :"Who is just? The Soviets, the German Nazis, even the Soul Society… disregarded the value of human life. They waged war on their own people. The methods may have been different, but on a basic level they all pursued a single idea: the extermination and annihilation of people who thought differently from themselves. Only time can tell the consequences of such a dangerous notion." :“I’m not sure how I managed to remain “human” over all these years. I suppose it was by each small step, doing the insignificant—every measure in striking a blow against man’s inhumanity to mankind.” Trivia *Dresden's theme song, as stated by the author, is Things We Lost in the Fire, by Bastille. *His favorite drinks are Russian coffee (black) and German Altbier. * Dresden learned to play the violin somewhere along the way, and is actually quite adept. He enjoys it as a hobby. *”Bund” is a German word meaning “alliance, confederation, union, etc.” *Dresden was named after the city in Germany of the same name. His mother selected the name because it was one of her favorite places to visit, and the Olbricht family lived just north east of there. It was also the city where Dresden's actual father was from, and where the estate of the Olbricht family's non-Prussian rival was located. As such, his name was also intended as an insult against the Olbricht family. *Before he lost his Quincy powers, Dresden's Spirit Weapon had evolved to the point where it appeared metallic, taking the form of a small hand-held machine gun with rotating barrels attached to a shield that fitted over his arm. He could fire Heilig Pfeil at a rate of 3,000 per minute. *Dresden has had several aliases over the years. Some of which included: Hans Kolber, Zwie, Iven Petrov, Yasuo Miyake, Dietrich Horowitz, etc. His current alias is Jacob Alders. *Dresden suffers from a mild case of . Although not as pronounced as it was in the past (especially after WWII), Dresden will still occasionally experience acute nightmares. Behind the Scenes Category:Original Character Category:Quincy Category:Human Category:Male